Muscle Regeneration

Transcript

BOB HIRSHON (host):

Regrowing muscle… I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

Our muscles can patch minor wounds, but with a major injury, scarring blocks the replacement of lost tissue. Now, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the CellThera company in Massachusetts may have found a way around that. Chris Malcuit of CellThera explains.

CHRIS MALCUIT (CellThera, Worcester, MA):

We found a new material called fibrin microthreads, which serve as a very nice delivery vehicle for putting new muscle cells into a wound site. And at the same time, these microthreads cause a dramatic decrease in scar formation.

HIRSHON:

His team implanted the microthreads in mice with major muscle injuries. Surprisingly, although the threads were seeded with human cells, the resulting muscles were composed mainly of mouse cells – suggesting the threads attracted the host’s own cells to rebuild new tissue. I’m Bob Hirshon for AAAS, the Science Society.